Although he has often been misunderstood, Pierre-Auguste Renoires is one of the most beloved painters in history, undoubtedly because of the warmth, tenderness and joie de vivre that emanate from his paintings. With a complete chronology, a bibliography, an index of works and splendid colour reproductions, as well as photos and sketches illustrating the artist's life and work, this is the reference book on the master painter.

Life in Pink

The most comprehensive retrospective book on Renoir's oeuvre

Eternally captivating, the paintings of Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) are the embodiment of happiness, love and beauty. Based on the large-format book - the most comprehensive survey of his work ever published - this compact edition examines in detail the painter's personal history and the motivations behind the legend. Although he began his career painting landscapes in the Impressionist style, Renoir found his true calling in portraiture, after which he abandoned Impressionism altogether. Although he has often been misunderstood, Renoir remains one of the most beloved painters in history, no doubt because of the warmth, tenderness and joie de vivre that emanate from his paintings.
In this masterly text detailing the artist's entire career and tracing his stylistic evolution, Gilles Néret shows how Renoir reinvented the female form in painting through his generously curved everyday goddesses. The last phase in Renoir's work, in which he returned to the simple pleasure of painting the female nude through his series of bathers, was the most innovative and stylistically influential, and would later inspire masters such as Matisse and Picasso.
With a complete chronology, a bibliography, an index of works and splendid colour reproductions, as well as photos and sketches illustrating Renoir's life and work, this is the essential reference book on this master painter.

About the author

Gilles Néret (1933-2005) was an art historian, journalist, writer and museum curator. He founded the SEIBU museum and the Wildenstein gallery in Tokyo, edited the art magazines L'ŒilyConnaissance des Arts, and was awarded the Élie Faure prize in 1981. The numerous books he wrote for TASCHEN includeDalí The Pictorial Work, MatisseyErotica Universalis.

Publisher: Taschen